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Special Olympics go virtual

Published by admin on Wed, 05/20/2020 - 12:53pm

Special Olympics Iowa launched its Virtual Summer Games on April 30 with the at-home training and competing component. Registration for the virtual portion of the games, the Virtual Summer Games Series, which spans three days, Thursday, May 21, through Saturday, May 23, was opened on Friday.

“Special Olympics Iowa’s biggest competition and celebration of the year is the Summer Games. Even though the spread of COVID-19 required us to suspend training and in-person activities, including the Summer Games, we were determined to create a way for athletes to compete at home and come together virtually,” shared Dawn Criss, Special Olympics Iowa Senior Director of Sports and Programs.

Over the last two and a half weeks, members of the Special Olympics Iowa community, athletes, Unified partners, coaches, fans, and supporters, have trained and competed in basketball, track and field, and general fitness competitions. As at-home training and competing come to an end tonight, participants will submit their times and scores online. The results for the at-home competitions will be announced during the 12th session of the Virtual Summer Games Series, via Facebook and Instragram live, at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 23.

The Special Olympics Iowa Virtual Summer Games Series will bring the Special Olympics Iowa community together, through the use of different social media platforms, for 15 fun and interactive sessions. While some sessions will focus on wellness and Special Olympics Iowa programming, others will focus on having fun through games, prizes, and dancing. The sessions are open to the public.